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Tuesday, 4 May 2010

E3 2010- What to expect from this year's show [Part 2]

'Any new consoles?'

Secondly, the announcement of new consoles. Now I don't for one minute believe the rumours circulating that a possible successor to any of the current-gen consoles will be announced this year. However, it has been widely rumoured that a slim Xbox 360 console is on its way (this was after a leaked chipboard picture showed up on the net). Following on from Sony's move to release the Slim PS3, it seems wise for Microsoft to do the same and extend the life of the console whilst also improving the image of the brand. An announcement is pretty much guaranteed, and we'll no doubt see this bundled with 'Natal' in time for the Christmas rush.

Nintendo are also expected to have a full showing of their new hand-held, the 3DS, which had to be announced earlier in the year after Nintendo were wary of a possible leak. The 3DS continues the trend towards 3D gaming and uses the in-built camera and head-tracking technology to simulate three dimensions, all without the need for glasses. The 3DS is backwards compatible with current DS and DSI games.

Right then, let's not beat about the bush, Sony's 'PSP Go' was a misstep as far as gamers were concerned. Announced and released late last year, it was a huge slap in the face for anyone expecting a successor to the PSP. However, E3 is here and I'd not be surprised to see the much desired 'PSP 2' finally announced, with twin analogue sticks, superior processing power and perhaps a touch screen interface to rival the iPhone. If all this shows up, consider me interested. Oh, and don't be stupid with the pricing model again Sony, please!

Games, games, games!

Moving onto the highlight of the convention for most people, the games that are likely to be shown and detailed. It's here that I urge Sony and Polyphony Digital to please, please, please give us a confirmed release date for Gran Turismo 5. It's been way to long for the ultimate in racing titles to still have no real game footage shown, with a release date that can't stand still if it tried (even though it's finished!). Sony are also likely to show off their spy-espionage title Agent, which is being developed by Rockstar North (of GTA IV fame, no less) exclusively for the PS3. We've seen nothing of the game so far, so it'd be nice for a trailer or two at least.

Furthermore, sequels are going to be the order of the day again mostly. Expect Killzone 3, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Rock Band 3, Gears of War 3 and SOCOM 4 all to have strong showings. Its also been rumoured Nintendo will announce a new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii, which seems likely given the amount of time that has passed since Twilight Princess. LittleBigPlanet 2 was also leaked a few weeks ago, so expect an official announcement here. I'd also expect more footage of Metal Gear Solid: Rising (the cross-platform MGS release) and PS3-exclusive MMORPG Final Fantasy 14. Finally, Activision should also announce a DJ Hero sequel and Valve, a possible new Half Life episode maybe? Please.

Expect even more shocks from this year's event, expect more games to be detailed than I have time to list here and most of all, expect a great show.